Tuesday, January 07, 2014

Baby, it's cold outside! Temp plummets to -2 degrees west of Staunton

There it is ... minus 2 degrees this morning shortly before 7:00 a.m. I consider us fortunate because many locations throughout the nation were far colder than our corner of Augusta County.

The heated bird bath is frozen over with thirsty birds sitting around trying to figure out what to do for a sip of water. We will refill it but today's high temp is supposed to be around 15 which will still allow bird bath water to freeze. High winds overnight caused wind chills to register far below zero with some areas feeling like -20.

The furnace is running but our biggest support is the wood stove that is working to crank out some cozy heat on this frigid morning. A pot of Brunswick stew will be bubbling on the stove throughout the day, and venturing out will involve warming up the car before hitting the street.

WHSV TV-3 had good weather advice: "You are encouraged to stay indoors, but if you have to travel, check
your car battery, have a blanket and safety supplies with you as well as
a fully charged cell phone and full tank of fuel. Open cabinet doors
and allow water to run through your pipes. Have a safe heat source, as
well as a reliable backup heat source. Check on your friends, neighbors
and the elderly, and bring pets indoors."

There's no frost this morning west of Staunton ... it's just cold. The air is clear and the mountains are sharply outlined against the western sky. The sun is out and the sky is a deep blue. This is a short cold snap because the rest of the week will warm nicely, starting tomorrow.

Today's forecast from WHSV TV-3:***A Wind Chill Warning is in effect through 6:00 p.m. for the entire
viewing area. The combination of very cold air and strong winds has
the potential to create dangerously low wind chill values well below
zero. With temperatures and wind chills this low, frostbite and
hypothermia are possible. ***

SEVERE WEATHER ALERT DAY (SWAD)
ISSUED BY THE FIRST ALERT STORM TEAM: A Severe Weather Alert Day (SWAD)
has been issued for Tuesday, January 7. Highs today will only make it
to the low and middle teens. Gusty winds in addition to the cold polar
air will provide wind chill values around 0° to -20°. The National
Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Warning for the entire viewing
area for the same reason.